Rafael Nadal CONFIRMED for French Open by Uncle Toni, quashes meaningless retirement rumors

Rafael Nadal fans can finally take a load off their mind as Uncle Toni Nadal confirms his participation in the French Open. “Rafa *will* play Roland Garros,” tennis’ favorite uncle Toni told Radio Marca, a radio channel in Barcelona. Not just that, Toni also said retirement is off the cards for the 36-year-old Spaniard. “He is not thinking about retirement, he wants to recover, and continue to compete, which he is extremely passionate about,” the 62-year-old Nadal told.

This news has brought a huge relief to the Rafael Nadal fan community and tennis admirers in general who are still reeling from the effects of Roger Federer’s retirement. Losing out on a second Big 3 is seemingly a difficult truth to digest for tennis aficionados. And with Novak Djokovic’s injuries flaring up and affecting his form was making the situation even grimmer for tennis fans.

But recently in an interview Nadal’s coach, Carlos Moya expressed concerns about the player’s fitness. He said that the player’s physical condition will not be ideal but knowing Nadal he will give his best. Nadal has missed out on all the crucial tournaments leading up to the French Open, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and the ongoing Madrid Open. His lack of preparation due to missing these tournaments is also a cause for concern.

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The Race to 23 is ON between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

It seems like everyone’s favorite rivalry will be back in the French Open this year if all goes well. This time it will be juicier due to the fact that both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are tied at 22 Grand slams each. So who will race to 23 first is a big question intriguing to everyone in the world. But both players’ fitness levels have recently been posing a threat to their championship.

Rafael Nadal’s preparations are so less that people are concerned about whether it will be his worst title defense ever. Nadal has never crashed out of the French Open in the first week, so fans are concerned whether it will be his worst campaign this year on his favorite court.

Similarly, Novak Djokovic’s fitness could also contain the player at an early stage at the French Open. He has already lost to 2 players outside of the Top 10 recently on clay. Lorenzo Musetti in the Monte Carlo Open and Dusan Lajovic in the Banja Luka Open. So does that mean the tennis world might have a new champion this year? A new name on the podium after 7 years of Nadal and Djokovic prevailing over all players. Though it will be very exciting to see Rafael Nadal once again work his magic on the court, it will also be equally exciting to see a new name on the plaque at the French Open.

In case you missed it:

• Roger Federer expands business portfolio inking new deal with Oliver Peoples
• “I don’t think we have a lot of influence,” Iga Swiatek brings SEXIST card into the mix while demanding equal prize money for female athletes once again

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